Read some embarrassing tidbits from the book at the Daily Beast link.

This is interesting from Reuters: French modelling scout linked to Epstein found dead.

PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) – Daniel Siad, a modelling scout with ties to the late convicted sex ​offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been found dead at his home ‌outside Paris, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Siad’s body was discovered on Monday evening. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death, the ​Nanterre prosecutor’s office said.

Siad’s name appeared nearly 2,000 times ​in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of ⁠Justice.

According to French media, at least five women accused Siad, ​69, of rape and human trafficking, allegations Siad denied.

Siad’s lawyer told ​Reuters in an emailed statement that the modelling scout was never formally the subject of judicial proceedings….

Siad told French broadcaster ‌BFM ⁠in May that his relationship with Epstein was strictly professional.

“Daniel Siad never stopped proclaiming his innocence,” his lawyer, Meyna Arab-Tigrine, said. Siad had died of a heart attack, she added.

This seems like a very bad idea to me. Trump wants to let Saudi Arabia start down the road to owning nuclear weapons.

David E. Sanger, Edward Wong, and William J. Broad at The New York Times: Saudis Reach Deal With U.S. That Could Let Them Enrich Nuclear Fuel.

The Trump administration plans to announce Wednesday that it has reached a broad nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia that could lead to the country enriching its own fuel for nuclear reactors, U.S. officials said.

The accord is intended to further bind the United States with the Saudi government as the war with Iran strains the relationship. The Trump administration, according to officials, estimates it will provide billions of dollars for the U.S. nuclear industry — starting with Westinghouse, which designs many of the reactors sold abroad.

Trump and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman in oval office

The Trump administration plans to formally sign and announce the agreement with the Saudis on Wednesday, said two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. It would announce the details to Congress soon afterward.

Although the agreement likely would have support among many Republicans, some U.S. lawmakers from both parties along with Israeli officials have expressed opposition to such a plan, fearing that the kingdom could use a civilian nuclear project to eventually develop nuclear weapons.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters traveling with him in Manila on Wednesday that he had nothing to say about any nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. “Maybe later today, once Washington wakes up, there is an announcement,” he said. “I promise you’ll know about it.”

Asked about concerns that the agreement could lead to Saudi Arabia developing nuclear weapons, Mr. Rubio said, “Suffice it to say, the U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation.”

The accord has been under discussion for years, and during the Biden administration it was envisioned as part of a broader deal that would include Saudi diplomatic recognition of Israel. But after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas, that prospect receded. President Trump separated the proposal for U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation from any demand that Saudi Arabia recognize Israel.

The agreement will require review by Congress, which under the Atomic Energy Act has the power to vote a resolution of disapproval. But as a practical matter, the agreement would likely pass, because Congress would have to assemble a veto-proof majority to override Mr. Trump’s initiative.

Politico reports on another Middle East giveaway by Trump: Staff warned of major security risks from giving UAE new tech access. The White House went ahead anyway.

The Trump administration ignored warnings from career staff at the Commerce Department when it granted the United Arab Emirates sweeping access to advanced American semiconductors and other technology, according to three former officials with knowledge of the reports and two other people familiar with the matter.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced on July 10 that it was loosening restrictions on sensitive tech exports to the UAE, a key ally in the war in the Middle East whose leaders pledged last year to invest more than $1 trillion in the U.S. over the coming decade. According to one of the people familiar and two former officials, the announcement surprised staff inside the agency, which is tasked with securing American tech from adversaries and criminals. It also ran directly against recommendations staffers submitted to senior Trump administration officials at the department last year.

The five people said agency staff compiled and circulated multiple internal reports and memos last fall documenting security risks tied to G42, the UAE’s state-backed AI giant, and its affiliated companies. In the assessments, which have not been previously reported, staff warned that expanding the companies’ access to U.S. technology — such as cutting-edge processors from companies like Nvidia, as well as the powerful AI models built with them — made it more likely the technology would get into the hands of adversaries. In particular, they flagged concerns about China’s influence in the Emirates.

“It is an open secret that the UAE is the primary diversion point for sensitive U.S. technologies in the Middle East — by orders of magnitude,” said one of the people familiar, who like others in this story was granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

But senior Commerce officials who were presented with the reports, including Jeffrey Kessler, the Commerce undersecretary in charge of BIS, ultimately brushed aside the warnings, the people said.